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This provides a glimpse of some of
the women who helped mold a legacy to make Delta Sigma
Theta a powerful force -- more than a sorority.
Osceola Macarthy Adams, a founding
member of Delta, was one of the first Black actresses
on Broadway. She was the Director of the Harlem School
of the Arts and directed the theatrical debuts of Harry
Belafonte and Sidney Poitier.
Sadie T. M. Alexander, Ph.D., 1st National
President (1919-1923), was the nation's first woman
to earn a Ph.D. in economics (1921). A distinguished
attorney, she was among the founders of the National
Bar Association (1925) and she was appointed to President
Truman's Commission on Civil Rights (1945).
Tina Allen, sculptor and painter recently
sculpted a life-sized bust of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. She is the conceptual designer of two major international
projects: The International Children's Peace Park and
the Monumental Statue of Nelson Mandela. Ms. Allen has
received the Essence Award, the Stellar Award and the
Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award.
Brigadier General Hazel Johnson Brown, Ph.D.,
was the first African American woman general in the
United States Army.
Selma Burke, Ph.D., sculptor, won the
1943 Fine Arts Competition for the District of Columbia
for a profile of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This
artwork was adapted for the United States dime.
Alexa Canady, M.D., at age 26 became
the first Black woman neurosurgeon in the United States.
She specializes in pediatric neurosurgery.
Elizabeth Catlett is an internationally
acclaimed sculptor and lithographer. She is noted for
the vast range of works she creates, including life-size
sculptures and even larger pieces.
Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman
member of the U.S. Congress, was the first African American
and first woman to run as a major party candidate for
the presidency of the United States.
Ruby Dee Davis is an extraordinary
actress with performance credits on stage, in film and
on television. She has also written a collection of
poetry.
Myrlie Evers-Williams is the Chairman Emerita
of the Board for the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP).
Frankie M. Freeman, noted attorney
and 14th National President (1967-1971), was the first
woman appointed to the Civil Rights Commission by President
Lyndon B. Johnson and served 16 years.
Patricia Roberts Harris served as Delta
Sigma Theta's first Executive Director. She was also
the first Black woman to be appointed ambassador to
a European country (Luxembourg) and to be appointed
to a presidential cabinet post as Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD). She was later appointed
as Secretary of Health and Human Services. In January
2000, she was honored on the 23rd commemorative stamp
in the United States Postal Service's Black Heritage
Series. Other Deltas that have been ambassadors are
Ann Holloway and Bynthis Perry.
Dorothy I. Height, Ph.D., 10th National
President (1947-1956), was appointed by President Carter
to the Presidential Commission on a National Agenda
for the 1980s. She has served as president of the National
Council of Negro Women for over 40 years.
Alexis Herman was the Secretary of
Labor and a Cabinet Member in the administration of
President William Clinton.
Darlene Clark Hine, Ph.D., noted author,
built her career on researching, publishing and raising
the bar of how the experience of African American women
should be recorded. She was the first African American
to become the John A. Hannah of History Endowed Chair
at Michigan State University.
Shirley Jackson, Ph.D., is the 18th
President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is
the first African-American woman to head a leading technological
university, the first African-American woman to earn
a Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (in
1973), and she was the first African-American woman
to become a commissioner of the United States Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.
Elaine R. Jones is the first woman
to serve as Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense
Fund. She is also the first African American woman graduate
of the University of Virginia Law School and the first
African American woman elected to the American Bar Association
Board of Governors.
Barbara Jordan was the first African-American
to serve in the U.S. congress from the South since reconstruction;
first Black woman to preside over a state senate; and
the first Black person to deliver the keynote address
at the Democratic National Convention.
Jewel S. Lafontant was the first American
woman to be admitted into the International Academy
of Trial Lawyers. She was also the first female Deputy
Solicitor General of the U.S. during the Nixon Administration.
Carrie P. Meek is a Congresswoman in
the United States House of Representatives for the 17th
District of Florida.
Jane E. Smith, Ph.D. served as the
President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women.
Mary Church Terrell was the first African
American chosen to represent the United States Congress
of Women and to serve on the board of education of a
major city.
Stephanie Tubbs-Jones was a Congresswoman
in the United States House of Representatives for the
11th District of Ohio.
Barbara Watson was first African American
woman to serve as chief of a State Department bureau.
She became Administrator of the Bureau of Security and
Consular Affairs on July 31, 1968, served until December
31, 1974, and was re-appointed on April 7, 1977. On
August 17 of that year, she became Assistant Secretary
of State for Consular Affairs.
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